Bucs Player Sits for National Anthem in Trump Protest

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

Wide receiver Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches from the sidelines during an NFL game in September 2016.

Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans says he's "not big on politics." He is disheartened by the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States.

The third-year pro said he sat during the national anthem before Sunday's game between the Buccaneers and Chicago Bears because he feels electing a reality television star to the highest office in the nation is "not a good look for America."

"I don't want to disrespect the veterans or anything. The men and women that serve this country, I'm forever indebted to them. But the things that have been going on in America lately, I'm not going to stand for that," Evans said.
Top Sports Photos

"I told myself, 'If this character' -- I'm not big on politics or things like that -- but I told myself, 'If this happens, then America is not right right now,'" Tampa Bay's leading receiver added. "I said it a long time ago. When he ran I thought it was a joke. The joke continues."

"It's well documented what he's done," Evans said. "I'm not going to stand for something I don't believe in. That's the end of that."

Evans' protest is the latest in a string of demonstrations by NFL players, sparked in August by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sat, then kneeled, for the playing of the anthem to call attention to the oppression of minorities across the United States.

While some have expressed support for the message of the demonstrations, the protests have sparked outrage among others, including local police unions in Miami and San Francisco, both of which have threatened some form of boycott.

This is the second time a protest has occurred before a Bears game. In September, several members of the Philadelphia Eagles raised their fists in the air during the anthem ahead of their game against the Bears at Soldier Field.